There are some interiors that immediately tell you something about the person behind them, and Sean Symington’s newly renovated studio in Tetbury is certainly one of them.

Layered with colour, pattern, artwork, antiques and pieces collected over time, the space feels both wonderfully considered and deeply personal – much like Sean’s approach to interiors. Throughout the studio, he has incorporated a carefully chosen edit of Birdie Fortescue designs, mixing furniture, lighting and textiles with antiques, his own designs and pieces from other much-loved brands.

Having long admired one another’s work, Sean and Birdie’s paths have increasingly crossed through their shared love of interiors. So, with Sean settling into his new studio, it seemed the perfect excuse for Birdie to make the journey to the Cotswolds to visit.

What followed was less an interview and more a conversation between two friends – talking antiques, decorating, craftsmanship, creativity and, naturally, the pleasure of finding just the right piece for a room.

Inside Sean’s Studio

For an interior designer, creating your own workspace offers a particular kind of freedom – and perhaps a unique challenge too.

Sean’s studio brings together many of the qualities that characterise his work: a confident use of colour and pattern, an appreciation of beautiful craftsmanship and an instinctive ability to combine old and new. Yet rather than feeling overly designed, it has the character and ease of an interior that has evolved naturally over time.

It is this idea of a collected interior that Birdie and Sean particularly share. The most interesting rooms are rarely created from a single period, collection or source. Instead, antiques sit comfortably alongside contemporary design, while treasured objects mingle with newer discoveries, creating spaces with personality, individuality and a sense of history.

Sean’s selection of Birdie pieces reflects exactly this approach. In the meeting room, our blue Pavilion Mirror and large Ziggurat Rug introduce pattern and subtle colour, sitting effortlessly amongst the room’s mix of old and new. Nearby, the blue Samode Marble Top Side Table brings another distinctive form to a quieter corner – and the perfect spot for a stack of favourite interiors magazines.

Elsewhere, twelve of our Natural Rattan Pendant Shades make a striking statement overhead. Suspended on long chains from the barn’s beams, their repetition creates impact while the handwoven rattan brings warmth and natural texture to the space.

Colour and pattern continue through an eclectic mix of Birdie textiles. Shisho Embroidered Velvet Cushions in Carmine Red and Forest Green sit alongside the playful pink Rassi Embroidered Loop Cushion, while our Edo Stripe in Moss Green & Pink appears as both a cushion and a pleated lampshade – a lovely example of Sean’s confident approach to layering pattern.

Together, the pieces feel unmistakably Birdie Fortescue, yet completely at home in Sean’s world – a reflection of the shared approach to interiors that has made this creative friendship such a natural one.

A Conversation with Sean

To celebrate the finished space, we asked Sean a little more about his office, his relationship with Birdie and the ideas that shape his interiors.

1. What first drew you to Birdie’s designs?

The variety of the products and the sense of character each one has. Birdie’s pieces never feel as though they’ve come straight off a production line, there’s always a nod to something older, a little wit, a real love of English country style. They have that rare quality of looking as though they’ve been part of a home for years which is exactly what I look for when putting a room together.

2. When you first started designing the office, what did you want it to feel like – both for you and for clients visiting?

I wanted it to feel as much of a home as possible rather than a corporate office. A converted barn is such a wonderful blank canvas and I didn’t want to lose the warmth of it to anything too commercial. For the team, it needed to be somewhere calm and inspiring to work every day. For clients, I wanted them to walk in and feel immediately at ease, to sit down with a cup of tea and get a real sense of how we live with colour, patterns, and texture. In many ways, it’s a showcase of what we do, but it should never feel like a showroom.

3. You’ve chosen quite an eclectic mix of Birdie pieces for the office, from the Pavilion Mirror and Ziggurat Rug to lighting and textiles. What drew you to those particular designs?

Each one earns its place in a slightly different way. The Pavillion Mirror has a lovely architectural quality that brings some structure to the walls while the Ziggurat rug has a playful energy with lots of lovely colours we can pull from, it stops the space from feeling too traditional while contributing to the wider cohesiveness of the scheme. The lighting and textiles are where the softness comes in. I’ve always believed a room comes together through layering, so I chose pieces that would sit happily alongside one another while each bringing its own personality.

4. You clearly fell for our Rattan Pendant Shades – you chose twelve of them for the office! What was it about the design that worked so well for your scheme?

Guilty as charged! A converted barn has such generous proportions and you need lighting that can fill that volume without feeling heavy. The rattan shades are relaxed, natural, and full of texture and they cast the most beautiful, gentle light. They give a real sense of rhythm to the space and draw the eye up to the beams. They feel effortless, which is exactly the mood I wanted.

5. Your interiors always feel collected rather than overly decorated. What’s the secret to creating that feeling?

Patience, mostly. The rooms I love best are never finished in a single shopping trip, they evolve. I always encourage clients to mix pieces from different periods and places, to keep the things that mean something to them, and to leave a little room for what they might find along the way. If everything matches perfectly, a room can feel staged. A few unexpected pairings are what make it feel personal and lived in.

7. How do you approach mixing old and new without a room feeling too considered?

I try not to overthink it. I’ll often start with one or two antique pieces that anchor the room, then bring in newer elements that share a common thread, whether that’s colour, material or simply a feeling. Contrast is your friend, a crisp contemporary lamp on a Georgian chest can look wonderful. The key is to choose things you genuinely love, because a room built around real affection rarely feels contrived.

8. Why Tetbury? What is it about the town and the surrounding Cotswolds that inspires you creatively?

Tetbury is a treasure trove. You can lose a whole afternoon wandering from shop to shop, which is my idea of heaven. Beyond that, the landscape itself is so inspiring, the honeyed stone, the rolling countryside, the way the light changes through the seasons. It feels deeply English and that sense of heritage runs through so much of what we do.

9. Is there a decorating or design rule you particularly enjoy breaking?

The idea that small rooms should be played safe. I love taking a small space and going dark and moody with it or adding pattern on the walls and layering in fabrics. It becomes cosy and enveloping and like an extension of the rest of the spaces rather than cramped. It often ends up being everyone’s favourite room in the house.

10. And finally, what’s next for Sean Symington Design?

It’s a very exciting time. Settling into the new Tetbury studio is a real milestone for us, it gives us a home where we can welcome clients and collaborators properly. We have some wonderful projects underway, including one in the Hamptons, which is such a fun chance to bring a little English country style across the Atlantic. Above all, I want to keep creating homes that feel warm, personal, and truly lived in.